WHAT a truly wonderful time to be a Newport sport fan, but as ever, we will have to keep that news to ourselves, because your teams won’t be getting credit elsewhere.

Perhaps it is a case of Stockholm syndrome for a Hampshire lad who has been sitting in Argus towers for a long stretch, but I think Newport Gwent Dragons and Newport County AFC supporters alike have a legitimate gripe this yuletide.

I’m far from a rugby expert and not going to pretend otherwise, but the Dragons have won four games on the trot in all competitions and you need but a modicum of sporting expertise to know that’s a fine run.

Having the context of seeing rugby covering colleagues on the Argus disappointed time and again over the last decade, it’s exciting to see a real buzz about the region.

In Kingsley and Lyn Jones the Dragons have a management and coaching set-up that has not only strong CVs, but two men with genuine passion for the region, for the area in general and a desire to leave a legacy, not just coaches passing through or viewing the Dragons as a stepping stone to something bigger, a la Declan Kidney or dare we even say, Mike Ruddock.

I’m well aware of their relative financial disadvantage, in comparison to a majority of their potential opponents – in any competition – but they’ve seemingly found a good blend in youth and experience that is working well for them at the present time.

They now face a pivotal clash with the Blues on New Year’s Day, a real chance to impress again in front of what will surely be a packed house following their surprise 23-17 triumph at the Arms Park on Boxing Day.

However, don’t expect to hear many people other than Dragons fans lauding them for signing Rynard Landman, developing a duo who signed dual contracts for Wales, or for simply playing better than the Blues on the big occasion. A first win away since 2003, only the third Dragons win in 14 against their fiercest rivals, but it’s not the done thing to look at where it all went right for the Dragons.

The national coverage and conversation since the clash has been all about where the Blues went wrong – too many squad changes apparently and “underestimating,” the Dragons – but I also challenged an excellent rugby writer who thought the Dragons won it through desire, another view I don’t subscribe to – when the simple truth is they won because they were better on the day.

But I shouldn’t be surprised, because I’ve watched Newport County AFC fly so far under the radar this season they could practically skim your front lawn.

On Sunday with fingers and toes freezing by the minute, over 1000 Exiles fans witnessed them battle to a brave and important triumph at Cheltenham, Chris Zebroski’s controlled finish enough to let them leave Whaddon Road with three points and a clean sheet.

That’s a super result for a side only in their Football League infancy against a far more established one, the Robins perennial promotion challengers for the past few seasons.

Yet, it is the hosts who look set for a possible relegation battle this term, while County have lost only twice in three months (or 19 games, sounds impressive either way) and recovered from a 3-0 reverse at Luton to take a maximum six points over Christmas.

County have often frozen with the pressure on, but in front of their biggest crowd of the season dispatched of promotion rivals Plymouth, a hugely significant result in terms of their development.

The Exiles are now as high as fifth in League Two and only three points off the automatic promotion spots with teams around them certainly taking County seriously as contenders.

However, I don’t see too many people willing to give them credit for that, manager after manager still referencing them as a long ball side that press and close down and make things difficult as if these are somehow bad qualities. Paul Buckle even alluded to County being a cynical side after they received six booking at Whaddon Road.

The Exiles haven’t been a long ball team all season and while they lack the fanbase and stadia, even history, of some of the other challengers for promotion in League Two, they don’t lack in squad or managerial quality.

County’s renaissance this season is the Welsh football success story of this campaign, but you’ll be lucky to see it mentioned nationally with Cardiff City ‘in crisis.’ In reality it’s a case of crisis, what crisis, with Cardiff’s situation nothing more or less than the inevitable conclusion for a chaotic and farcical period where the club’s affairs have played out like a bad soap opera scripted by the WWE.

Vincent Tan has become like a caricature Mr McMahon character that even cuts bad guy promos at Christmas time, telling supporters they are going back on their word by not supporting a club in red shirts. What a mess.

But at the same time, he sanctioned some astoundingly bad signings under both Malky Mackay and Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer and has a squad with more players on inflated wages than Barry Fry managed throughout the entirety of the 1990s, yet is still planning to spend in the January sales.

Cardiff aren’t in crisis, they are a drama magnet club in the midst of poor form – with the finances and personnel to improve with some patience - and it’s time to look at the Welsh footballing feel good story, which is the County.

But I won’t hold my breath on that happening any time soon, any more than I will expect the Dragons to get any credit if they beat the Blues for the second time in a week.